Ambition
by RainSonata
Summary: Three trainers travel to the mountains in search for Mega Stones for the upcoming Pokemon League. Little did they realize that ambition comes with a price. It's sometimes easy to forget there is life outside pokemon battles and training. Two-shot. Rated T for adult themes.
1. Part I: Ambition

**Ambition**

* * *

**Summary:** Three trainers travel to the mountains in search for Mega Stones for the upcoming Pokemon League. Little did they realize that ambition comes with a price. It's sometimes easy to forget there is life outside pokemon battles and training. Two-shot. Rated T for adult themes.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own pokemon. Pokemon is owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Satoshi Tajiri. I however own my OCs and the plot of this one-shot. I do not own the cover image. Enjoy the fic.

* * *

**Part I: Ambition**

* * *

Viridian City

Yuuichi's arms were sore when he went over to the bench to get his water bottle. He unwinded the top cap and poured the cool water down his dry throat. The young teen shielded his dark-colored eyes from the sunshine raining down. He watched his two friends from the side as they took out a ball the size of an orange. The two trainers dropped the red capsule with light flashing out to show their pokemon.

The brown-haired boy held up both arms and announced the last match to start. His Breloom cried out its name and cheered for the battling trainers. Before his announcement, he saw brown and blue eyes focusing on each other while calculating strategies. Who was going to make their first move?

"Let's start with Agility!" He cried. Staraptor zig zagged through the cloudless sky with its wide wings spread out.

"Gladius, Torment!"

Her Bisharp speed across the dirt surface and flung itself into the air with its red metallic legs. The humanoid pokemon rose at Staraptor's level and grinned behind its bladed helmet. It opened its mouth and let out a screeching noise that could only be heard by the bird pokemon. Staraptor continued flying, but was unable to make itself go faster because of Bisharp's status move.

The battle wasn't new. It wasn't foreign. Bisharp's trainer caught sight of Staraptor's trainer after exiting out of the Viridian City Pokemon Center. When two trainers make eye contact, they may begin in battle. The two trainers have fought several times since their journey started and this one wouldn't be any different. It was a full six on six battle and they were now down to their last pokemon.

After a few verbal jabs, the trainers exchanged handshakes and took out their pokeballs. The battle has gone on for perhaps an hour. Scorch marks wrecked the standard battlefield. One could still feel the heat walking on parts of the ground from the previous match. Frozen boulders lay between the big cracks of the field.

"It's in the air!" Staraptor's trainer shouted. "Sera, Close Combat!"

The bird of prey swooped down at Bisharp, but the steel type pokemon leaned over to the right to avoid Staraptor's surprise attack. Bisharp curled itself up into a ball and allowed itself to fall towards the earth. A few meters away from the ground, it straightens its body and landed neatly on its feet.

Bisharp's trainer had her palms formed into tight fists. She knew he was going to do that. His over reliance on the move Close Combat made his battling style predictable at times. It was surprising her opponent would have preference for the fighting move despite its risks. Each time Staraptor uses the move, it would leave the flying type more vulnerable to future attacks.

Once on the ground, her Bisharp stood up, never staying in one place for long. The steel type didn't like standing still for it meant being more open to attacks. Bisharp had its eyes on Staraptor and stuck its tongue out childishly. The pokemon backed away slightly when it saw its trainer sending it a warning look for provoking the opponent.

"Night Slash!"

Bisharp leaped into the air again and used the trees to throw itself higher into the air. The sword blade pokemon's arms glowed with light and attacked its opponent. Staraptor's cry filled the air. The impact of the attack threw it off guard and fell to the ground.

"Sera!" The trainer ran over to his pokemon.

"Finish it with Stone Edge!"

Bisharp raised its two arms into the air before striking them into the earth. Ice covered rocks from the previous match shot up from the ground with the steel type jumping and kicking them up. Staraptor cried at the sharp-edged boulders coming its way. The bird's wings glowed and flapped at Bisharp's Stone Edge. The two attacks met at midair before causing an impact. Shards of ice and rock exploded everywhere, creating dust and ice to scatter in the air.

"Now's our chance! Quick Attack now!"

Staraptor's trainer commanded. The bird pokemon flew through the mist and saw its opponent's shadow. Staraptor struck Bisharp with its claws before the steel type realized its presence. The bird's sudden appearance made the Unova pokemon trip over its feet.

"Not bad, Momo (1)." Bisharp's trainer grinned. The girl adjusted her brown ponytail, "Not bad at all."

"Don't call me that," the trainer retorted. "It's Mamoru. Ma-mo-ru."

"Whatever," Her eyes gleamed. "You're not as predictable as I thought."

"Like you're the one to talk, Rin." Mamoru smirked. "Always using the same strategy of Tormenting me before going for the kill." The black-haired trainer wore a red hoodie and a pair of black jeans.

"Both of us have eight badges." She said. "Still think you're going to get to the Pokemon League?"

"Of course I will," Mamoru laughed. "I'll get there so I can see your face when I defeat you and become champion!"

"If you beat me at the pokemon league, it will only be because I was feeling sorry for you," Rin teased.

"Let's finish this battle."

"I was just about to fall asleep talking to you," she said with a smug look. "Gladius, use Night Slash!"

"Head on Close Combat!"

Yuuichi sighed at the two trainer's declarations of bluffing. They were so childish. Calling each other nicknames and making claims that weren't necessarily true. Rin became his childhood friend's rival after she found him getting lost in Viridian Forest. Mamoru came back to Yuuichi with a scowl on his face because he lost a battle against her. Ever since then, the two trainers have challenged each other the moment they come into contact. Yuuichi still couldn't stop smiling at their ridiculous exchange.

Bisharp once again used its legs to bounce to the same level as Staraptor. Its arms glowed purple and rammed itself into Staraptor's chest. The attack pushed the bird pokemon backward; Staraptor then hit Bisharp with the side of the wing while it was still in the air. The steel type flew down and hit the floor head first.

A thin line slashed across the ground from the sharp edge of Bisharp's helmet. Bisharp stubbornly pushed itself up and raised its head again. It didn't notice the shadow going over its shoulder when it repositioned itself. Staraptor swooped down and pressed its weight on Bisharp. The flying type had its claws against the pokemon's exterior stomach with a low squawk.

Bisharp's arms glowed again and used them to fight against Staraptor's wings. Night Slash cut into Staraptor's wings and made the bird of prey shrieked in a high frequency. The two trainers and Bisharp instinctively covered their ears from the sound intensity. Staraptor took advantage of this and threw itself into Bisharp with full strength with Close Combat. The super effective move hit Bisharp with great force and made the steel type groaned before falling to the ground.

"Bisharp is unable to fight!" Yuuichi declared. "Victory goes to Staraptor and Mamoru!"

"I won?" Mamoru gaped at the results.

"Gladius, you okay?" Rin came over to check on her pokemon. The sword blade pokemon had swirls in its eyes and had dents all over its body. "Thanks for fighting with me today." The girl said in a quiet tone and recalled her starter pokemon.

Mamoru's Staraptor went over to its trainer and gently nibbled on a loose strand of hair from him. The thirteen year old boy stroked his pokemon on the head crest and noted the scratches and bruises on its body. Its feathers were fluffed out and a few were out-of-place. Staraptor cooed as its trainer gave it a few Poffins for its effects.

Rin stood up from her spot. "You plan to train for the Pokemon League now?"

Mamoru looked confused. "We already registered for the Pokemon League. Right, Yuuichi?" He turned to look at the battle referee.

"Well, we did, but there's a month period that's usually used by trainers to prepare themselves for the tournament." Yuuichi explained to his friend. He had short brown hair and wore a green shirt and a pair of faded out jeans. Both of the boys were thirteen years old.

The registration process was supposed to be quick and easy enough. After spending an hour it seems talking to the pokemon nurse on details, the boys filled out their forms and were soon registered for the Indigo League. Rin was in town when she spot them exiting from the Pokemon Center and challenged Mamoru to a pokemon battle. Yuuichi was left with the role of the battle referee.

Yuuichi had turned thirteen in the summer, when he and Mamoru were on their fourth badge. His birthday was celebrated with a poor attempt of a cake baked by Mamoru after defeating the gym leader. The cake looked nice on the outside where the exterior was decorated with green icing and yellow lightning bolts. When Yuuichi cut the cake, it became clear that there was a thick layer of burned cake. Otherwise, the insides were fine and the frosting was left for Mamoru's Rhydon, who liked the taste for some reason.

"The Pokemon League is full of strong trainers, so preparing yourself a big part of the deal!" Rin said.

"How are you planning to train for the Pokemon League?" Yuuichi asked the girl. "You plan to go to Mt. Silver?"

"Nah, too many trainers like to go there." Rin shook her head.

"Where then?" Mamoru asked.

"It's a secret!" She giggled and winked at the boys.

"How annoying…" Mamoru said.

The dark-haired trainer was ever so happy that Viridian City provided battlefields for trainers so that they wouldn't have to worry about damage to the city. Mamoru once tried to train his Starly when she was first caught, but he broke his mother's vase in the process and had to face her rage. His poor Starly hid behind her trainer while Mamoru had to explain to his parents why there were vase shards on the ground and why there were feathers all over the home.

His first pokemon battle was against his father. Once he caught Starly, his father thought it was necessary to train his son how to battle properly. Too bad his father didn't predict how much pokemon were capable of. Their battle was on the front lawn that time and the results were just as disastrous. Water flooded the lawn and the ground had holes all over. It took the family weeks to patch the garden back to its original state.

"I hope you and your pokemon train well then," Yuuichi said to the girl. "Mamoru and I will probably go back home and train ourselves."

"Don't you guys have that cave near your hometown?" She asked.

"Yep, the same cave where Mewtwo used to live!" Mamoru said with pride. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Not that it matters since Mewtwo isn't there anymore," Yuuichi said wearily. "It would be scary to live so close to a legendary pokemon."

"You mean awesome, right?" Mamoru jabbed his on the sides. "Come on, think of all the cool adventures we could have."

"I already have enough because of you," his friend said with a sigh. His Breloom was never the same after the Sandshrew and Ekans incident.

"What is that supposed to mean?" A vein vessel nearly popped out of Mamoru's forehead.

"I would love to stay and chat with you two, but I need to get going and heal my pokemon." Rin pocketed her pokeball on her belt and threw her backpack over her shoulder.

"And go to your secret training place, right?" Mamoru mumbled.

"Bye Yuuichi, bye Momo!" She gave them a small wave.

"Don't ignore me! And for the last time, it's Mamoru!" Mamoru yelled at her. The twelve-year-old girl laughed at his overreaction and ran off towards the Pokemon Center.

* * *

"Hey, Yuuichi."

"Yes?" The brunette looked up from his reading.

"How is this training?" Mamoru asked the question that might as well be caps locked with explanation points behind it.

"Don!"

His Rhydon jumped at his trainer's voice and nearly crashed her head into the ceiling. The rock type pokemon stood almost two meters tall and looked like a rhino standing on its hind legs. She had rock tough skin and a drill like horn. Rhydon was caught by Mamoru when he and Yuuichi took a tour through Fuchsia City's Pokemon Safari Zone.

Rhydon was standing at the table where her trainer and his friend were. She was always turning her head as trainers and library workers walked in and out of the room where they were. Yuuichi's Breloom was there to keep her company, but it was sometimes annoying dealing with the mushroom pokemon's attitude. Breloom had a lot on her mind and wasn't afraid to express it, even if it meant announcing it to the world to hear.

Library visitors stared at the loud commotion to see an embarrassed Rhydon and her trainer. The rock type could have blushed if it was possible. Rhydon let out a series of apologies, but to humans, it sounded like the rhino pokemon was panicking or was angry about something.

"Sorry, Pangea." Mamoru patted her on the horn, "You hurt?"Pangea grunted and gently nudged Mamoru with the side of her head.

"Can you be quiet?" Yuuichi asked with annoyance.

The two of them were sitting in a library. The quieter of the two felt the eyes staring at them because of Mamoru. His Breloom hardly bat an eye at the usual routine between the two trainers and continued reading a book. Or at least it looked like Breloom was reading. Yuuichi wondered if pokemon could read. The mushroom pokemon always looked excited when he mentioned books and going to the library to her.

"This is so boring!" His friend complained, "I thought this was supposed to be easy and bam!" Mamoru made some noises for the sound effects. "Mega evolutions!"

"This isn't like a video game," he said. "It's more than just the stone and the pokemon."

Mamoru groaned and slumped down his chair with impatience. They have been staying at One Island for the past few days. Instead of going outside under the famous Sevii Island's sun to train their pokemon, Yuuichi had forced him to help him look up some information regarding the Mega Stones ('I bet the Pokemon League will have some trainers who can mega evolve their pokemon'). It sounded like a good idea at the time, but now he was starting to regret it.

They came to the islands because there was a battle couple that knew the secrets to mega evolutions and have taught a few trainers. The boys arrived to the island by ship with high hopes, but were instead rejected by the battle couple because they didn't have any mega stones in their possession.

"Why couldn't they just teach us how it works?" Mamoru grumbled.

"It can't be helped since we don't even have the stones to try mega evolutions." Yuuichi said. "At least Claire and Hiroki let us stay at their house."

The battle couple had their own little library dedicated to mega evolutions and the like. Bookcases lined up in the living room and even the wine cellar when the couple introduced their library to the two trainers. Mamoru had to grab Yuuichi by the collar to get him out of the library that morning when Mamoru announced that he wanted a change in environment. They only decided to go to the library to see if there was anything else.

One Island's library appeared small on the outside, but the inside was spacious and had stairs leading to the second floor. Plastic chairs were at the end of some isles for younger children to use. Wooden ladders were always occupied by library visitors or workers. The room they chose to stay in had comfy chairs next to the window and wooden tables in the middle with reading lamps.

"None of the books tell us where the stones are," he said. "All it mentions is that the stones are found in random places."

"Maybe Claire and Hiroki know where they are?" Yuuichi looked hopeful.

"Do they?" Mamoru tilt his head to the side. "They got their stones from Kalos, not from Kanto."

"Huh?" Yuuichi saw brown hair racing by.

The person was tall and skinny from the back. Mamoru immediately sat up from his chair. Yuuichi and Rhydon called after him, but he impulsively went after the person. The person was fast; her shoes made light tapping sound against the tiled floor. He went down an aisle of stuffed with books when the person made a sharp turn.

"Rin?" He looked behind a bookshelf to find the ponytailed girl sitting on the floor with a pile of books next to her. "This is your secret training place?"

Her Zangoose was already looking at him when he came by. It must have noticed his scent before its trainer did. She sat in the room next to where Mamoru was earlier. Rin nearly took up the isle along with her books, making it hard for others to walk in if they wanted to pick a book. Her eyes shift to Mamoru and she had a wide-eyed look like a Deerling in the headlights. Mamoru would have laughed at her reaction if he wasn't distracted by the books around him.

The teenage boy noticed that the shelves were full of books on pokemon training and evolutions. He picked a random book from a shelf and opened to the middle section. The section was all words and sometimes pictures for references. It went into detail about different types of evolutions and how it helped pokemon survive in the wild. However, under trainer ownership, evolution slows down because it's not as necessary, sometimes leading to new evolutions based on relations to trainers. The author of the book was a man from Kalos.

"Shush!" Rin looked embarrassed. "What are you doing here?"

"Did you come here to learn how to mega evolve your pokemon?" Mamoru ignored her question. He picked up a book from her pile titled 'Mega Evolutions: How to Evolve Your Pokemon and Essentials'.

"Yeah…" She looked at the book Mamoru was holding. "You guys are too. Did you find anything?"

"They didn't teach you?" She shook her head. "At this rate, we won't get any training done," Mamoru said with a huff.

"Why don't we compare notes and see if any of the books tell us where the stones might be?" The girl suggested. "Maybe they didn't say it directly."

The brunette girl held up a book turned to a page to show to him. "It was mentioned in this one paragraph of this book."

The page had a photograph of the snowy mountains blooming with evergreen plants and wildlife. In the background was the overview from the mountain of what looked like to be the beach and a small town that were both too tiny for the human eye to see. Swinub huddled in the corner of the photograph with their pig noses nuzzling to each other for warmth.

Below the photograph were paragraphs depicting the mystery of mega evolutions and several theories of its mechanics. At the bottom of the page was the paragraph Rin was talking about. The paragraph was talking about the locations of mega stones. Mega evolution was discovered in Kalos years ago, but that didn't limit the locations of the stones. The mega stones can be found in all regions, but only the shine of the moon at a certain time reveals its location. A list of known locations was on the next page grouped by regions. Under Kanto, the stone was listed to appear in...

"Isn't that the mountain on One Island?" Yuuichi recognized the picture. Mamoru jolted at the sudden presence of his friend. Breloom and Rhydon were right behind him. Mamoru didn't hear the rock type pokemon's loud footsteps.

"Mmm." She nodded.

How convenient, Yuuichi thought. A little too coincidental. Was that why the battle couple choice to live in One Island? Or they were just as clueless as most trainers were on the mega stone locations?

"So you're saying we should climb on this crazy mountain to get these stones that might not be there." Yuuichi said slowly.

"Let's do it!" A smile formed on Mamoru's face. "I decided. We're going!"

"Do you even realize that it's snowing up there?" Yuuichi took the girl's book and lightly tapped it on Mamoru's forehead. "We can't just go up there at a minute's notice!"

"Of course not," the dark-haired boy waved his friend's concern away. "It's autumn anyway, so we already have winter clothes. What kind of pokemon trainer wouldn't be ready for any weather?"

"So you brought winter clothes with you?" The brown-haired boy asked.

"Well, yeah. Only because you and my mom wouldn't stop reminding me about it." He scoffed. "Wait, are you coming with us?" Mamoru pointed at her.

"Of course!" She beamed at him, "Why shouldn't I? It's better if we were to travel as a group in a dangerous place."

Yuuichi heard his best friend groan and mumble a few inappropriate words to himself. He ignored him and said, "So we meet tomorrow in front of the Pokemon Center of this island?" His dark eyes averted to his wristwatch, "We should start early if we want to get to the top before the sun sets."

"We'll be fine," Mamoru laughed. "Everything always turns out okay!"

As they went into further detail for their trip to the mountains, Mamoru walked over to the window. The mountain was visible even from the center of the island where the library was. Snow caked the top of the mountain and trees dotted the edge of it. Where the mega stones should be.

It only seemed like last week since they started their pokemon journey as new trainers. Each badge was a victory and each training session was an accomplishment. All they had left was to go to One Island's mountain and search for the mega stones and train their pokemon properly for the tournament. The pokemon league was a lot closer than it seemed.

* * *

One Island Mountain

"I get no say for this?" He rubbed his gloves together and sneezed. "It's freezing!" His Kangaskhan laughed and gave the young teenager a hug for warmth. Kangaskhan's baby was happily snuggled in its mother's pouch and giggled at its trainer's misfortune.

"Don't complain, all of us are freezing. At least you have a pokemon that can actually warm you." Yuuichi said and pointed at his Scyther. The man-sized bug pokemon was surprisingly indifferent to the cold weather and had no problems moving through the snow.

Yuuichi and Mamoru went to the Pokemart last night and stocked up on canned food and other necessities for the trip. The trip was expected to last for a few days at most, so they only bought enough to last them for at least three to four days. No one made comments when they saw a bunch of twelve and thirteen year olds making their way to the mountains.

After hours of walking, Mamoru wondered if this trip would end successfully. It wasn't the biggest mountain in Kanto, but it had many segments, making it easy for novice trainers to get lost. Not that he would say it out loud, but he was thankful that Rin and Yuuichi were with him. He wasn't the greatest in directions. He didn't like the cold either. Growing up in Cerulean City had spoiled him with the mild weather. The teen wore several layers of clothes and still felt cold. His hood went over his hat and his scarf made it hard for him to see much besides the shadows in the snow and the two trainers beside him.

"Where are the stones exactly?" Mamoru asked.

"They were said to be separated by caves," she said. "It should be obvious because those caves are said to be small. Mega stones are sometimes found close to each other." Rin slowly grinned, "What's wrong, Momo? Scared you might get lost?"

"No," he retorted. "I'm just scared you might scare too many pokemon because you took the long way to the stones."

"Ouch," she faked a broken expression. "Maybe the mega stone will make you gain a few centimeters."

"I'm not short!" He glared at the girl, who clearly taller than him. "I will get taller when I'm older!"

"Not with that attitude," Rin smirked.

"Are you two done bickering?" Yuuichi groaned. "I don't want to hear you two arguing for the rest of the trip and wasting oxygen."

"Bickering?" His friend twitched one eyebrow.

"Wasting oxygen?" Rin had a similar reaction.

"It's already bad enough hearing you guys argue on ground level. I don't want to hear it here too." The brunette boy then said, "The stones will only appear at night at a certain time. It's almost time." He checked his watch. Could they find the stones in so little time?

"Then we'll find the stones one by one!" The black-haired boy exclaimed.

"That's the spirit, Momo!" Rin pumped her fist into the air. "Our pokemon are already strong. Think how much they will improve once we get the stones!"

"Don't call me that." Mamoru said automatically.

"I swear," Yuuichi sighed. "You guys are going to be the death of me…"

With those two, it was going to take some time getting to the caves with the stones. It was amazing how far they came through the mountain in a few hours. They met a few trainers on their way up, but most of them were on their way back. The trainers were just as bundled up as they were and complained of frost bite. Yuuichi took a step forward and watched his feet sink in the soft snow. He saw a few caves grouped together. Light shone from them.

* * *

Yuuichi always loved the snow. The teen liked waking up to see the snowflakes fall down and decorate his window with its intricate designs. Winter meant no school and spending the day playing outside with Mamoru and the neighborhood children. Mamoru would insist on making snow zombies with their jagged mouths dripping on his parent's car. The unorthodox snow zombies scared the neighbors who passed by on their morning walks and lead the boys laughing on their sides. They participated in snowball fights with Mamoru's siblings and would later have hot chocolate in the warm house.

"Yuuichi!" He heard his name. Not now. The trainer wanted to sleep just a little more. "Wake up! Yuuichi!" He opened his eyes and saw Mamoru shaking him with a wild expression.

"Ma...mo...ru…" Yuuichi coughed. His head was dripping wet from having his hair caked with white snow earlier. His hood fell off his head when he was trying to escape.

"It's okay," Mamoru said. "Rin called emergency. They're coming soon."

Yuuichi found it hard to focus. It was hard to see Mamoru in the dimly lit up place. The last thing he remembered being hurled into a small stream. The stream's water bit Yuuichi with sharp impatience. His fingers went numb and he couldn't move his legs when Rin and Mamoru went after him.

The brunette teen turned his head to the side and saw that they were inside one of the small caves where they found a mega stone, away from the wind. Yuuichi woke up in a sleeping bag, finding it hard to concentrate on anything with a severe headache. It felt like his head was going to burst. It took him a few minutes to realize that the hot prickling feeling he had on his face was from the heat of the fire.

"So cold…" He uttered.

"You're stupid," the dark-haired trainer looked at his pale face. "What were you thinking?"

"Your stone," he said. "Almost had it." His voice was hoarse.

"Who cares about the stupid stone?" Mamoru shook his head violently. "I had to drag your sorry ass out because of an avalanche."

Rin and Yuuichi already had their stones when they saw Mamoru's lying half-frozen between two rocks. The mega stone was mostly likely there because a previous trainer went there for the same reasons they did. Even with the efforts of Mamoru's Rhydon and Rin's Medicham, the stone refused to budge and stood in its place.

It was strange to see Yuuichi become impulsive. Of all times to become hasty. He foolishly went after the stone and didn't notice when the earth shook and snow came tumbling down on him. The trainer tossed himself across the mountain and rolled into a small stream. He remembered the cold piercing him like fire when his skin made contact with the icy water. Parts of his skin looked pale blue even with the fire on.

"Eat your soup," he shoved the plastic cup at his friend. "It'll warm you up."

"Later," the sick trainer showed no interest. "I'm not hungry yet."

"We could have trained for the league some other way," Mamoru pressed his hand against his own forehead. "We didn't have to cheat our way through by mega evolutions."

"It's not cheating," Yuuichi gave out what meant to be a laugh, but sounded more like a cough.

"Anything to be a Pokemon Master," he rolled his eyes.

"Every trainer's dream."

"You were always ambitious." Mamoru said quietly. "Even for someone who wanted to be the best like everyone else. You always knew what you wanted to do. Even as kids."

"Thank you," he said without sarcasm. "No goal?"

"No." he said. "Even though I don't have one, it was fun traveling with you and meeting people like Rin…" Mamoru noted that his sentences were getting shorter. This worried him. The trainer kept talking to fill that lack of dialogue, in hopes of getting Yuuichi to talk more. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Don't think so," Yuuichi whispered. "You'll find your goal."

"Maybe," Mamoru saw him trying to sit up. "Don't. Rest."

Yuuichi's body was so stiff when he and Rin picked him up. He had his arms on his sides and he remained that way when they wrapped him in a sleeping bag for warmth. Mamoru wanted to go outside to be on lookout for help, but the girl insisted that he stayed behind with Yuuichi. He still couldn't bring himself to argue when she left the cave with only the clothes she had and her pokemon.

"I guess it's now you who worries about me." He laughed.

"Of course I do," the teen huffed. "Who was the one dumb enough to hurl himself into a frozen stream?"

"True."

"Let's train when we get back," Mamoru said.

"That's not like you to want to train." Yuuichi wheezed.

"I don't need a mega stone to be strong. I will train." He said with a serious face.

The dark-haired boy really didn't mind not having a mega stone. It was possible to win against mega evolutions with normal pokemon. He won difficult battles before. Having Rin as a rival taught him to do research on his opponents before hand to get an idea of their battling style. She always conjured different strategies to counter his team while he would do the same vice versa.

Mamoru had thoughts of going back to his hometown to train at that cave Yuuichi feared so much. There were hardly any pokemon living at that cave now since its original inhabitant abandoned the place. Mamoru knew the cave better than any citizens of the city because of the frequent visits. The cave has a few good places to train where they wouldn't be bothered by any passerby. Maybe he should invite Rin to come along too. He will owe her for saving Yuuichi's life.

"I think Rin will be happy to hear that," Yuuichi smiled.

"Huh?" Mamoru's response was more coughing. He coughed for at least a minute before he settled down again and closed his eyes.

"Here," Mamoru offered him the bowl of soup again. "Eat. Soup's getting cold."

"Guess we can't battle again." His voice grew distant.

"Don't talk like that," Mamoru hissed. "Help is coming. Yuuichi?" He shook the boy in the sleeping bag. His call was answered with silence.

* * *

He heard his name being called by Rin. Her voice pierce through the air like a single candlelight in the dark. He saw a helicopter flying over her head when he stepped outside the cave. Even the helicopter's obnoxious sound couldn't be heard over the violent wind and hail. Lights beamed down at them and blinded his vision. Mamoru shielded his eyes with one arm and saw paramedics climbing down the ladder. She slowly approached him with the professionals following her.

Mamoru closed his eyes and told himself that it was over. They will be back in town soon. That this was all just a dream. Rin looked so tiny from a distance. Snow went up to her chest and half of her face was covered with her blue scarf. It was odd seeing his rival look so vulnerable when she was always the one towering over him in height.

"Mamoru! Momo!" She shook him by the shoulders. She looked at him and Yuuichi in his arms with concern. "What's wrong?" Her eyes looked glassy.

"Medi?" Her Medicham went to Mamoru and offered to carry Yuuichi, but the boy declined.

"It's too late," Mamoru let out a loud laugh.

His cackling bounced across the mountains, but he didn't care. He hugged his cold body against his chest. Medicham abruptly stepped away at his sudden laughter. The psychic pokemon cried its name with surprise. Mamoru sat up from his squat position and spread his arms out, "Some help this turned out to be!"

"Mamoru?" She looked at him with shock.

"Gone, all gone." He shook his head and continued laughing.

"Is he mad?" Rin whispered to a paramedic.

"Ha!" Mamoru wore a wide grin. "Madness!" He closed his eyes but opened them again. The trainer said in a low tone, "I'm perfectly fine. Mind is clear as crystal." He thought he heard someone mumble something about interrogation, but the words were meaningless to him.

"What happened?" Rin glared at him. "What happened to Yuuichi?" She stared at his half-frozen body with fear.

"It's too late," he repeated and threw his head back. "He's gone. Yuuichi is dead."

* * *

**Notes:**

**Momo (1)** = Means "peach" in Japanese, is normally a girl's name.

**Mamoru can mean "to defend or protect". Rin has many meanings, but her name can be written with the kanji "plum". Yuuichi can mean "excel, number one". **

**Sera can mean "star, sky" in Japanese. Gladius is "sword" in Latin. Pangea is named after the supercontinent because Rhyhorn/Rhydon's skin looks like tectonic plates. **

* * *

**Author Notes: ****This was originally meant to be a one-shot, but this story will expand to a two-shot instead because it is too long. I will update this story in one week. Check out this story next week on February 8, 2014 (next Saturday) for the new chapter! Thank you for reading this and be sure to leave a review!**


	2. Part II: Will

**Ambition**

* * *

"Blah" = normal

"_Blah" = flashback_

* * *

**Summary:** Three trainers travel to the mountains in search for Mega Stones for the upcoming Pokemon League. Little did they realize that ambition comes with a price. It's sometimes easy to forget there is life outside pokemon battles and training. Two-shot. Rated T for adult themes.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own pokemon. Pokemon is owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Satoshi Tajiri. I however own my OCs and the plot of this one-shot. Enjoy the fic.

* * *

**Part II: Will**

* * *

"Mamoru?" Rin was hesitant on whether to touch him.

He didn't look up. The teenage boy stared at the block of granite placed into the deep ground. The headstone wouldn't be carved for another few days, but Mamoru already imagined the words in his head. 'Matsuda Yuuichi (1). June 11, 2012 - November 27, 2025. Kind son and friend. May you live in our warm memories.' Mamoru gave an acrid laugh at the irony in the last sentence. Yuuichi's death was anything but warm.

"Go home," she almost pleaded. "Your parents will be worried about you."

The burial ceremony ended hours ago. Those who attended his funeral stuck around for a while, but left soon after. Mamoru woke up in an unfamiliar white room. He and Rin stayed at the hospital nearly a day while they waited for Yuuichi's parents to arrive and sign the documents. It was only when the funeral came did Mamoru feel the sudden weight of his death.

Yuuichi was buried in a small cemetery in their hometown. It felt foreign to see his friend dressed in a stuffy suit before the coffin closed. His arms were crossed and someone took the liberty to close his eyes. Mamoru was thankful for that. He wasn't too sure if he would have the courage to stare into Yuuichi's empty dark eyes. Mamoru recalled Yuuichi's mother when she was asked if she wanted her son buried or cremated. She didn't cry, but her face grew stiff and her eyes slid back and forth between her husband and the person who asked her the question.

"My parents are used to me being away from the house."

Mamoru recalled his childhood always spent playing outside with Yuuichi or with the neighborhood kids. They would roam in route 24 where the bridge was and play hide and seek behind the bushes. It was a cool pleasant day. Beautiful autumn leaves of various colors already rained down his grave, like those party poppers they used to play with around New Years.

"But..." Rin's voice faded. "You still have that?"

She looked at the mega stone Mamoru held in his hands. The stone was the same as her's; it was roughly the size of a pokeball that looked like a giant marble. The mega stone had a red and grey stripe in the middle. Both Rin and Mamoru had smaller versions of their mega stones stored inside their backpacks. The smaller stones would soon be turned into wristbands for the use of mega evolutions.

"He died trying to get the other stone." He gently pushed her hand away when she offered to help him sit up. "Not that it matters. The other stone was lost in the avalanche." He died for nothing, Mamoru told himself angrily. Yuuichi died a sad death because of him.

Rin couldn't find the right words to tell him. She tried to form eye contact with him, but he ignored her and looked away.

"Nice weather, huh?" Mamoru mumbled. His eyes gazed at the distance.

"Don't you even think about it." Rin said harshly.

She saw his brown eyes avert to the direction where One Island's mountain was. The Sevii Islands weren't even visible from this part of Kanto, but it was clear that Mamoru had his eyes on the south. When they were at the hospital on One Island, the boy was unusually quiet. It scared her to see him act so indifferent to everything. Even his pokemon couldn't get a response out of him, and he was always hugging or playing with one of his pokemon when he could.

After they were checked up by the doctors, the two were excused and spent the day in the lobby room. Rin tried to start conversations, but the only thing Mamoru said to her was 'Okay' and 'I see'. His usual loud voice had reduced to a low voice, almost whispering. When Yuuichi's parents arrived from their flight, Rin broke down and cried in front of the couple. Mamoru's face appeared indifferent and only awkwardly had his hand on his back as a poor attempt of calming her down.

"Think about what?" He asked innocently. Mamoru tried to smile, but failed. "Maybe he left something up there to pick up."

She glared at him. "They already checked to make sure there was nothing left." His brown eyes looked so empty.

"I see."

"What's on your mind?" the girl frowned. "Spit it out."

"How am I supposed to live seeing Yuuichi's parents tomorrow?" Mamoru choked on his words. "I just killed my best friend."

"You didn't kill anyone." The girl said firmly. "How is this your fault?"

"We shouldn't have even tried to get those stupid stones." He moaned, covering half of his pale face. "What was I thinking? Why else do you hardly see anyone with mega evolutions? It's dangerous."

"All trainers have to face the fact that a journey is dangerous," Rin pointed out.

"I rushed him into looking for the stones with me," he said quietly. "He was trying to get my stone, even though the time already passed." Mamoru closed his eyes. "I should have stopped him. I shouldn't have decided so quickly to look for the stones. I knew it was too convenient, but I still went anyway."

"You think you're so special?"

"What?"

That comment caught his attention. His eyes were now focused on her. It was one of the rare moments he caught his rival dressed in anything than pants or jeans. She wore a black blouse and a matching knee-length skirt. Her hair was let down and she had a few bobby pins pinned back to keep her bangs away from her forehead.

After Mamoru left the hospital, Yuuichi's parents took him back to Cerulean City. The flight back to the mainland was silent where Mamoru sat next to them after he failed to switch seats with another trainer. Once back home, the teen faced his family and hardly spoke to them. The funeral was quickly arranged and he remembered having a black suit thrown at him. His younger siblings gave him questioning looks during the funeral, but he pretended not to notice them.

"You think you're special enough to take all that blame?" Rin asked. "It's my fault too. I'm the one who suggested going to the mountain."

"It's because I failed to get my stone," Mamoru argued. "If I came early enough, I could have gotten the stone. Yuuichi wouldn't have gone after it for me and he wouldn't be dead."

"That's not your fault."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better? What am I supposed to do?" He clutched the stone in his palm tightly. "What am I supposed to tell his parents? Sorry, your son is dead because of my stupid mistake?"

"I don't know," she said. He saw her crying earlier, but those tears have dried up. "I don't know."

Mamoru knew he should have felt sorry for saying that to her. She was just trying to reason with him. He was aware that he had said many unkind things for the past few days and that he wasn't the best source of comfort. The trainer tried to calm his rival down when she cried at the hospital, but all he did was give her a sad pat on the back. What kind of person was he? He should have tried to make her smile like he always did with others when they were down. The teen tried to smile, but felt fake for doing it.

"Two weeks since the training period started." Mamoru mumbled. He had to give the adults credit. It was possible to arrange a last-minute funeral. "Only two weeks until the Pokemon League starts." He felt her eyes looking at him with worry. "I don't think I will go to the Pokemon League."

"But you already registered!" Rin exclaimed. "Your family will be there to watch the matches!"

"I don't have to show up at the Preliminary Rounds." He said. "If I don't show up, I'll automatically be disqualified."

"Are you really planning to give up?" She asked, "After all that work you did for the badges? After all the stuff we went through?" Her voice cracked at the last sentence.

"That's why I'm quitting." Mamoru said. "I doubt it will make me ready. Guess we won't battle again."

With their trip to the mountains, the three trainers spent most of their time moving and taking care of their pokemon and themselves. There was no time to worry about training other than surviving. After Yuuichi's death, Mamoru spent his time back home locked in his room. His sleep pattern became skewed and his spent most of the day sleeping on and off. Mamoru only got up to get something to eat, usually in the middle of the night when the rest of the house was asleep.

Nothing was accomplished. Mamoru's pokemon were still the same as they were before the trip to the mountain. His Kangaskhan had no mega stone and the pokemon league was the last thing on Mamoru's mind. Even if his pokemon were ready to fight, the trainer himself wasn't ready. He didn't want to battle. He didn't want to do anything.

"If you're not going to battle at the Indigo Plateau, what are you planning to do then?"

"I don't know." He said simply and tried to smile again, "To be honest, I didn't know what my goal was when I became a trainer.

"Isn't there a reason why you became a trainer?" Rin asked.

"I collected the badges because you and Yuuichi did." Mamoru continued. "I'm useless. Without you or him, I have no dream. I can't even figure out what I want to do after this journey is over. Even if I went to the Pokemon League and somehow won, then what? What do I do then?"

Mamoru sighed. "Just leave me alone."

The dark-haired trainer sat up and walked away.

* * *

_Several Months Ago_

"_Aw man!" Mamoru cried, "I think we passed that tree before!" His Starly made herself comfortable and choice to sit on her trainer's left shoulder. _

"_I told you we should have asked for directions," Yuuichi told him. Shroomish walked beside him and cried its name. _

_The two trainers have been wandering in the Forest for the past few hours with little idea of where the exit was. Mamoru tried to force himself through the Cerulean City gym but found out that the gym was being remodeled. With nothing left to do in the city, the two left for the forest in hopes of getting to the next gym. Mamoru claimed that he saw a trainer pass by once, but Yuuichi didn't see the trainer and dismissed it._

"_This still beats going to school though," Mamoru grinned ear to ear. "Now we're trainers! We can do whatever we want!" It was more exciting than listening to boring Mrs. Takeuchi's lecture on quadratic formulas._

"_Including getting lost." Yuuichi pointed out. _

_Like many boys his age, Yuuichi dreamed of leaving his hometown and traveling around the Kanto region with his own pokemon. Of course, his dreams never involved getting lost, figuring out how to properly put out a fire, or learning how to navigate through thick forests when the Pokegear failed to pick up signal. He was luckily a fast learner, so it didn't take too much time for him to get used to the trainer life. His best friend on the other hand, was a complete city boy and was useless at times, specifically in reading directions. _

"_Lost!" He scoffed, "We're not lost. We're just misguided."_

"_That's just a nicer way of saying lost."_

"_Maybe if we take a break, the answer will come to us!" Mamoru said wisely. _

"_Are you just stealing quotes from your mom?" _

"_...maybe." He laughed sheepishly. His stomach growled. "And I'm hungry…"_

"_I guess we should stop." Yuuichi said and went over to a tree to rest. Mamoru joined him underneath the tree and put his backpack down. _

_Mamoru couldn't help but smile as he relaxed under the cool shade. Viridian City had many bug pokemon living in the shrubs and trees. A flock of Butterfree flew overhead as they swooped down to take in a sip of nectar from the blossoming trees. Beedrill hummed in the air as they joined the Butterfree in the warm spring dance. Flowers were in full bloom with Caterpie and Weedle sleeping in between the big leaves. _

_Yuuichi wiped his brow with his arm and placed his bag on the ground. He took out a bag of crackers and carrot sticks to snack on them. The carrots were a little dry, but food was food. They have to finish the fresh food before moving onto the canned goods they bought from the last town. He offered the carrot sticks to his friend, but Mamoru shook his head. _

"_Sandwich?" Mamoru offered the French bread loaf to his friend. The bread was stuffed with meat and vegetable of sorts. "Bought some from the last town." _

"_Thanks," he took the loaf and stuffed it in his mouth. The sandwich was still crisp. _

"_Just think!" The dark-haired trainer said with excitement. "We're going to get our first badge!"_

"_Yeah," the other boy smiled. "It's going to feel so weird if we were to get to the Pokemon League."_

"_Of course we will!"_

"_You seem confident." _

"_It's the first badge," Mamoru said. The first gym teaches new trainers the basics of pokemon care and battling. Nearly all trainers had no problems winning the first badges. "It can't be too hard. Besides, I know the first gym leader."_

"_Right," the brunette smirked. "Sure you do."_

"_I do!" He insisted. "My parents are friends with him!" _

_The first gym leader was one of his father's many friends he met on his pokemon journey. Everyone seemed to know his parents at one point. The gym leader occasionally stopped by his house around Christmas time to visit. It was difficult to find time to talk to him because he was always occupied with his wife and many children. Even though the gym leader had a big family and they took up much room in Mamoru's house, he didn't mind. He was a great cook. It was a nice change from the food his parents made. _

"_And so are a lot of others," Yuuichi said with amusement. Nearly every female trainer from their parents' days knew the Pewter City gym leader because of his flirting tendencies. Not that the gym leader did much flirting nowadays._

"_What are you planning to do if you win at Indigo Plateau?" Mamoru asked. _

"_Mm," he put thought into that question. "I'll challenge the Elite Four and if I win, save that money for college. Train more to fight other stronger trainers. What about you?"_

"_Me? I don't know," the other boy admitted. "I just want to travel and meet new people."_

_Mamoru's parents almost seemed relieved when he left the house. As a child, Mamoru was the problem child. He came home with mediocre grades and was picked on for his short height by the other kids. Whenever one of his many parents' friends stopped by to visit, they always greeted Mamoru with an odd look. Like they were expecting something great from him because he was his parents' child. Going to the wild may have ironically been the best option because he could avoid being surrounded by people he knew and their high expectations. _

"_Why don't we have a battle?" Mamoru changed the topic. _

"_Shouldn't we feed our pokemon first?"_

"_The battle will get them hungry!" He said with excitement. "If we battle, maybe trainers will notice us and show us the way!"_

"_You could have used Sera to find the exit." Yuuichi said, but took out a pokeball. "I accept your challenge!" He tossed his pokeball, "Go, Hibiki!" _

"_Mankey!" A monkey like pokemon came out of his pokeball and let out an angry cry. _

"_Sera, use Growl!" Starly shrilled at Mankey. The little bird flew down to attack Mankey, but the monkey took a pebble and threw it at it. The pebble was enough to stall time and allowed Mankey to escape from the attack. _

"_Hibiki, Covet!" The tan-colored monkey opened its small mouth and howled at Starly. _

_Hearts flew out and smacked the flying type in the face. Mankey kicked itself up and snatched a berry from the bird. Starly turned around and used Peck on the fighting type pokemon. The monkey staggered from the super effective move, but it was still standing and munched on the Oran Berry it stole from Starly. Scratches on Mankey's body disappeared from its body as it used Covet again on Starly and threw it down. _

"_Sera!" Mamoru recalled his starter pokemon. "Captain, go!" Krabby came out of its pokeball with bubbles foaming out of its mouth. _

"_That was too easy!" Yuuichi cried and recalled the monkey. "Hibiki, return! Bella, slow down Captain with Stun Spore!" _

"_Quick! Dodge it!" Mamoru's eyes widen. _

"_This battle is over!" _

_Krabby was too slow to avoid Stun Spore and fell to the floor from having its body get stiff. Shroomish jumped at the crab with the green dots on its body glowing. The pokemon collasped from Absorb, leaving Krabby with swirls in its eyes. _

"_I lost…" He recalled his Krabby and sobbed. Mamoru looked at the two pokeballs that contained his pokemon and whispered, "I'm sorry guys." He held them close to his chest. _

"_Why are you a trainer?" Yuuichi recalled his pokemon and went over to comfort his friend. He cried too easily. The trainer placed one hand on Mamoru's shoulder and looked at him in the eye. _

"_What?"_

"_Why are you a trainer?" He repeated himself. _

"_So I can win badges," Mamoru said._

"_And then what?" Yuuichi asked. _

"_Then I can go to the Pokemon League."_

"_And then what?"_

"_You want to become a Pokemon Master," Mamoru choice his words with care. "I want to get to get to the Pokemon League."_

"_For what? Isn't there a reason why you became a pokemon trainer?" Yuuichi demanded. "To prove your worth to your family? To avoid school? Why?"_

_Mamoru was unsure on how to respond. _

* * *

He woke up with a startled expression. It has been the fifth time he had that dream this week. Mamoru rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands and stared at the window next to his bed. The house was silent; the world was dark outside his windows. He laid in his bed without anything in his mind in particular before sitting up. The digital numbers read 5:00 AM. His parents wouldn't wake up for another hour or two. His mother was usually the one waking him up to go to school. She was always late to work because of him and she refused to leave the house until she made sure her children were awake.

On his way out of the room he shared with his brother, Mamoru grabbed his backpack that was already packed and ready to go. He was careful not to wake up anyone in the house, a hard task to do when six people live in one place. The thirteen year old trainer tiptoed down the stairs and went to the kitchen. He wanted to grab something to eat before leaving. The boy opened the fridge and took out a bag of peaches and stuffed one in his mouth. It wasn't peach season, so the fruit didn't have that same juicy texture when he bit into it. Mamoru placed the bag of peaches back into the fridge and closed it.

* * *

The walk to Yuuichi's house was short. They weren't next door neighbors, but they still lived close to each other. Yuuichi lived in a different neighborhood where the houses had fresh layers of paint and the front lawns were always nicely trimmed. Yuuichi's father answered the door when Mamoru dropped by.

"Mamoru?" Mrs. Matsuda greeted him as her husband led him into the house.

The inside still looked the same. They were once a family of three, so the house was small for the neighborhood and the furniture was nicely lined up according to feng shui. Bookshelves lined with old books sat in the living room with the TV next to it. The holographic television on to the news channel with the volume turned down. Mamoru saw the heavy bags under Mr. Matsuda's eyes, but noted that the door was answered almost immediately. Were his parents awake the whole time?

"Is something bothering you, dear?" Yuuichi's mother asked him. Mamoru slowly shook his head. He was almost disappointed that he wasn't scolded at for being at their door so early in the morning. Their clock on the wall said it was almost six o'clock.

"I'm sorry. For what happened to Yuuichi." He carefully avoided their eye contact.

"I know you are," she said wearily. "He's lucky to have died with you and his pokemon by his side."

"I want to give this to you," Mamoru almost shouted. He shoved the six pokeballs at Mr. Matsuda and said, "Please take care of them!"

Yuuichi's pokemon… It was painful to see their faces when he had to feed them after the incident. Yuuichi's Scyther evolved when Mamoru opened its pokeball. Scyther was meant to evolve when it was under Yuuichi's ownership. It was ironic how it chose to evolve after its trainer's death. Scizor grew wide-eyed when Mamoru handed the steel pokemon the mega stone and cried over its shoulder.

Mr. Matsuda looked at his son's pokeballs and had an odd expression. Sadness? Pity? His wife looked at the bigger version of the mega stone Mamoru handed to them. Yuuichi's parents were once Ace Trainers in their youth and were known among certain circles of trainers before their marriage. She rubbed the stone against her palms before passing it over to her husband.

"To think these would someday become well-known," she uttered and looked at the stone with disbelief.

"You know what they are?"

"It doesn't matter," she sighed. "It's been a long time since I battled." Mrs. Matsuda looked older for a moment. She was a young woman in her thirties and had her red-brown hair tied into a thin ponytail. Her eyes fluttered at her son's pokeballs and said, "We can't keep them." She pushed the pokeballs back to Mamoru.

"But they belonged to him," he stuttered.

"That's why we think it's better if you were to keep them," Mr. Matsuda said. "There's no point in keeping them. You would give them better company than we would." Yuuichi's father was the quieter of the two, but his eyes always said more than his words. His eyes were the same as his son, full of life and energy. Those eyes were now dull and dimed.

"You should get home before your mother worries," his wife said in a low tone. She had her arms around his shoulder and gently pushed him to the door.

"But-"

"Don't worry about us," she said with a sad smile. "We'll be fine. Don't hesitate to visit us sometimes."

Before he could say much, the door closed to his face with Mamoru hugging the six pokeballs in his arms. The mega stone was in his pocket and felt warm compared to the cold chilly weather of December.

"I'm so stupid," the boy sobbed. Tears fell from his eyes and down to the sidewalk. "I'm so damn stupid." He looked at Yuuichi's pokemon. "Do you guys really want me to be your trainer?" The pokeballs shook in response to his question. The button in the middle of the pokeballs flashed. If Mamoru leaned his ear over to the pokeballs, he could hear the pokemon's cries as the pokeballs moved.

"You cry too easily," she uttered. The girl hugged him around the shoulders with her arms.

"Rin?" He turned around. "What are you doing here?" It was too early in the morning to see a person casually pass by.

"I came by your house to say goodbye, but your brother said you were here."

"At this hour?" Mamoru mumbled, "How did he know?" Was Hikaru awake when he left the house?

Hikaru… He looked nothing like Mamoru, more like their mother. His younger brother was a year younger than him, but Mamoru always thought that he was the favorite. His younger brother was the good boy. He scored high on his exams and was an efficient battler because of his knowledge. With an excellence in battling, Mamoru was beyond confused when he found out that Hikaru chose to take part in Pokemon Contests instead. Mamoru found out his brother's goal when he was in Saffron City. His brother was there because he was running away from home and ditching school. Hikaru? Ditching school? Mamoru never thought he would see the day.

Well, Hikaru was now home because of the funeral. His younger brother was in the middle of his own pokemon journey when news reached him about Yuuichi's death. He and Yuuichi never really got along. Yuuichi thought he was too much of a smartass and Hikaru thought he was too naïve. Hikaru was at the funeral with two other teens Mamoru didn't recognize. One teen had purple hair that was tied into a short ponytail and the other one had her hair cropped short. He never saw them before. How did his brother know them?

"I wanted to leave the city before the rush starts." She was dressed in layers today. It has got colder since November ended. "Do you need help?" Rin gestured to hold some of Yuuichi's pokeballs.

Mamoru handed three pokeballs and said, "You keep them."

"But they're Yuuichi's pokemon!" She rejected.

"I know, but I think Yuuichi would have preferred this." He held up the other three pokeballs. "I can't keep twelve pokemon in rotation. Yuuichi's pokemon like you too."

"No," she said. "I think you need them more than I do." Rin gave him back the pokeballs. "You keep them."

"But…"

"Besides," she said. "The Indigo League is next week." After the funeral, Rin stayed in Cerulean City. She wasn't ready to leave for Viridian City just yet.

"I told you, I'm not going to the tournament." He said angrily.

"Are you going somewhere?" She saw his backpack.

"'Isn't there a reason why you became a pokemon trainer?'" Mamoru quoted her. "You asked me that last week. Well...I still don't know the answer." He sighed, "Maybe that's why I'm leaving. I need time to think about that question. I still don't know. Maybe I will someday."

* * *

Indigo Plateau

"Today folks, we start the Preliminary Rounds!" The announcer said over the loud crowd. "Challengers are given randomized battle fields to work with. Our first battle is at the Ice Battlefield!"

As the announcer's voice blared, a platform rose to ground level to display an ice-covered field. Chunks of ice decorated the field and gleamed under the sun and cold wind. The stadium will filled with people. Hologram screens hovered at four ends of the stadium to show the scoreboard.

"On our red side is Satou Rin from Fuchsia City!" A red platform rose from the left side of the stadium with the trainer standing.

"Let's make it through the preliminary rounds." The ponytailed trainer took out her pokeballs and held them to her cheek. Rin had her black trenchcoat over a few thin layers of clothes. Her brown boots were worn over her jeans and she had her blue scarf wrapped around her neck. The girl looked at the crowd in search for Mamoru. He left Cerulean City last week and promised her that he would come to see the match. Would he keep his word?

"And we have…" The green platform rose from the opposite side of Rin. "Mamoru from Cerulean City!"

Rin looked up. Mamoru? His platform was finally at the same level as Rin. His signature red zipped jacket was visible even from a distance. She half expected him to look excited with his fists pumped up, but he wore a calm façade. His eyes looked cloudy as if this was all a dream. Mamoru clutched on a pokeball and had a small smile.

"I thought you weren't battling!" She shouted. One hand was on her wool beanie to avoid having it fly off into the wind.

"I wasn't, but then I remembered!" He yelled back over the crowd.

"It looks like this is going to be an interesting match!" The announcer's voice interrupted their conversation. "What pokemon will the challengers be using in our first match?"

"On your mark," the referee signaled the two trainers to take out their pokeballs at the same time. "Get set. Go!" He swung two flags down.

Rin and Mamoru dropped their pokeballs at the same time and red light blinded the stadium. When the light disappeared, two pokemon appeared on the slippery ice. On Rin's side was a human like pokemon that stood on one foot. It resembled a yoga artist and wore magenta colored pants and hat. Mamoru's pokemon was a bug pokemon that was taller than the average man. It had a red metallic exoskeleton and a pair of wings growing from its back. The bug type had three horns from its forehead and long arms ending as round pincers

"The match begins with the challengers using Scizor and Medicham!"

"Nobunaga! Let's show her what we got!" Mamoru pulled back the long sleeve of his jacket to show the mega stone on his wrist.

"Chie, go!" Rin followed suit and took off her gloves to reveal the mega stone she wore on her wrist.

Scizor and Medicham closed their eyes as light flashed from the stones they and their trainers were holding. As the lights dimmed down, Medicham's hat turned white to resemble a white turban with a yellow stone near its forehead. The psychic pokemon acquired yellow wristbands and had blue droplets decorating the pants. White hands formed from her back and extended out like ghosts.

Scizor grew taller to two meters tall and had a black metallic star on its forehead. Its round pincers grew teeth and appeared like saws. The bug type struck a pose as it waited for a command from its new trainer.

"Bullet Punch!" Mamoru shouted. Mega Scizor's pincers glowed white as the pokemon charged with the first priority move.

"Detect!" Mega Medicham's ghost arms moved in circular formation and covered the psychic type. Bullet Punch hit Mega Medicham, but the attack bounced back. Mega Scizor slid across the icy floor and hit his head at the bottom of an icy boulder.

"Our first match and we get to see a mega evolution!" The crowd went wild at the two pokemon's transformations. "What kind of strategy will these trainers use?"

"I thought you weren't going to the Preliminary Rounds!" The brunette girl hollered. "What happened to that? Chie, Meditate!" The psychic pokemon closed her eyes and did a back flip. Blue aura radiated from Mega Medicham's presence as she meditated in the air with her legs crossed in Lotus position.

"I wasn't!" He repeated his words from earlier, "But then I remembered! Nobunaga use Swords Dance!"

Mega Scizor crossed its pincers in x formation. His pincers glowed a violent purple color as it dashed to Mega Medicham for another Bullet Punch. Bullet Punch interrupted the psychic pokemon's medication and pushed it against the slippery ice. Mega Medicham caught itself on the ice with one hand, but then fell down and cracked the side of the ice. Black water leaked out to the surface and flooded around Mega Medicham.

"Thunderpunch Nobunaga!" Rin's Mega Medicham punched into the ice where the water was. Electric currents traveled through the ice and shocked Mega Scizor, who was standing too close to its opponent to escape. Mega Scizor collapsed from the conducted attack and cried its name.

"I remembered how much fun I had traveling with Yuuichi," Mamoru shouted over the crowd. "I liked battling you and it was even fun when Yuuichi and I got lost. I liked being with you guys…"

"What does that have to do with this?" She asked.

The dark-haired teen leaned over his platform. "Nobunaga, get up! I know you can do it!"

"Scizor…" The pokemon groaned. It tried to use one pincer to support itself, but slipped on the water.

"Come on Nobunaga…"

"Finish it with High Jump Kick!" Mega Medicham flew at Mega Scizor's direction.

"X-Scissor!"

Mega Scizor opened its eyes had its pincers turned bright blue. The pokemon's attacks met and threw both of them back from the impact. Mega Medicham flew to an ice boulder behind it and Mega Scizor hurled from the ground and crashed into Mamoru's platform. The green platform shook and made the teenager fall down to his knees. He grabbed onto the barred handle of the platform and use it to pull himself back up. Mamoru dusted off debris from his torn jeans.

"What an attack!" The announcer cried. "It looked like both pokemon are close to being done!"

"Finish with Bullet Punch!" Before Mega Medicham could pick itself up, the pincer pokemon appeared and punched it to the ground. Mega Medicham sank through the ice. Bubbles foamed at the surface of the water.

"Chie!" The psychic pokemon didn't respond to her trainer. After a few seconds, the pokemon resurfaced with swirls in her eyes.

"Mega Medicham is unable to fight!" The referee flashed a flag to Mamoru's side of the field. "The first match goes to Mamoru from Cerulean City!"

"We won our first match!" Mamoru cheered.

"Scizor!" Yuuichi's Scizor looked exhausted.

"Chie return!" Rin recalled the fighting pokemon. "It looks like mega evolutions wasn't enough." The ponytailed girl said, "I'm glad you came."

He smiled, "I'm glad too." He forgot how much thrill he had from battling. It felt like years since he had a match with his rival.

"Did you figure out what you wanted to do?" She laughed as she took out her next pokeball.

Rin looked at Mamoru again. His appearance didn't change over the two weeks, but there was something about his attitude. Mamoru seemed calm when he entered the battle. Although when he battled, there was life this time in his eyes as he commanded his pokemon. The same familiar fire she saw when they battled throughout their journey. She hasn't seen so much life in him since the last battle she had with him in Viridian City. She wished that fire would return outside of battle.

"No," he said. "I didn't know what I wanted to do. I have no goal. I still have no goal. I don't know if I ever will." Mamoru took out his pokeball and recalled Mega Scizor. "Good job, Nobunaga."

"Emi, I'm counting on you!" Zangoose flew out of her pokeball and landed on the ice with a growl. "Horn Claws!" Zangoose dug her claws into the ground to sharpen them.

"But I do know what's important to me." He took out another pokeball. "I want to be stronger than you and Yuuichi! Bella, plant the ice with Leech Seed!"

"Bree!"

A mushroom like pokemon came out of her pokeball. Yuuichi's Breloom skied through the ice with little effort and opened her mouth. Seeds flew out and landed into the ice, forming small cracks into the ground. Vines sprouted from the seeds and shot up towards Zangoose. Mamoru decided to bring two of Yuuichi's pokemon and his Staraptor to the Preliminary Round. If he wins this round, he was planning to rotate his and Yuuichi's team for the rest of the Pokemon League.

"Be better than me, huh?" Rin mused. "I like that." She grinned. "Let's finish this tournament and go home!" She cried, "Crush Claw!"

"Sky Uppercut!"

"And the battle is on!" The announcer shouted. "This battle is getting heated! What will the trainers do next?"

Mamoru listened to the crowd's cheer. He battled his rival many times before, but this battle felt different. He never battled in front of so many people before. He was hesitant on using half of Yuuichi's team, but the pokemon insisted and ready for the battle before they even entered the stadium.

Zangoose failed to avoid Breloom's Leech Seed attack. The mushroom pokemon's leech seed slowed it down as the grass attack sucked Zangoose's health away. Zangoose tried to rip the vines off, but they held on tightly around its body. Breloom directed a blow at Zangoose, but missed. Zangoose delivered another Crush Claw and hit Breloom's shoulder.

"X-Scissor!"

"Seed Bomb!"

A bright green ball of energy formed in between Breloom's hands. Breloom hurled the ball of energy met with Zangoose's claws. Thorny vines formed out of the ball and clung to the normal type's fur. Dust scattered all over the stadium when the two pokemon collided. Both trainers coughed and tried to scan the field between the dusts.

"And the winner is...!"

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**Notes:**

**Matsuda Yuuichi, Satou Rin (1)** = His and Rin's names are East Asian order (surname, first name).

**Hibiki means "echo" in Japanese. Bella is named after the Portobello mushroom. Nobunaga is named after one of the well-known samurai. Chie means "wisdom, intellect". **

* * *

**Author Notes: This fanfic took longer than I thought. I hope you readers enjoyed reading this fanfiction and be sure to leave a comment/review in the box below! **

**This is a sequel to my other one-shot "And Then There Were Four". It's not a need to read it and you can easily skip it. However, the one-shot gives some background information of Mamoru's personality before his pokemon journey. I would appreciate it if you were to read that one-shot and leave a review for it if you're interested. **


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